Fabric Frenzy

On our way the the retreat last weekend, we had to stop at a fabric shop.  Had to. Required. End of story!  

We weren't required to buy anything.  When you feel like you just escaped (from home) and were on the run (from making dinner), buying fabric was the last piece of the puzzle in our temporary life of crime!  Rebel!

There was a little fabric shop that has never been visited by me, and it was time to remedy that! Granny B's is in the heart of Dickson Tennessee, and we couldn't wait to check out the stock!

I really didn't buy that much, some more print filler.  This would be my Cotton + Steel haul.  I ended up getting extra fat quarters because it was Friday and they were and additional .25 cents off! 

And just as I'm getting my fabric cut, I turn...and there is Tula.  Damn it Tula Tigers...You are so pretty!  I had to.

This fabric will be the backing for my daughter's Birthday quilt.  April Rhodes ~ Bound, which will work perfectly fine with the Wanderer line.  Now to prep it, the quilt and wool batting for the long arm quilter!  

Late presents aren't always a bad thing!   Her birthday was yesterday and like nearly every year at this exact time...she get sick.  No exception, no surprise!

This last batch has my all time favorite, Anna Maria Horner's Echinacea.  And I must say this color way is exquisite!    

I was thrilled when I was presented with opportunity to yoink these!  Thank you...

More Tula.  I don't believe I need to say more.  

If you would please stop me now.  I cannot take any more fabric.  I'm feeling the guilt mounting at having beautiful stacks and not using any of it!  

LINKING:

Sunday Stash

Sound Of Silence

After a crazy, jam packed last minute Holiday gift making flurry...I put my sewing machine away. Cleared the table of all sewing paraphernalia, cutting mats tucked under a coffee table, ironing board in it's rightful place in the laundry room and design wall rolled and crammed behind a door.  That was nine days ago.  Nine.  Nine.  Nine.  

I have to say the first couple days were hard.  I wanted to bust it out and sew a song!  As the days went by, it became easier.  The shakes subsided, those awful thoughts of 'just one more gift' were laid to rest.  My house became cleaner than it's been in a long time.  It seemed I had the time, I didn't need to rush to get it finished just to get back to quilting.  

And with a wink of an eye, I felt like I was in a slump!  WTH?!  No, no, no, no and further more NO!  I had to break the ice, clear the damn dam...cut through those bad thoughts!

The Quilter's Planner

My new planner arrived!  I'm excited about this, maybe I will become a better planner and organizer?!  I could happen.  At first I was afraid to write in it, then thought 'for pete sake, girl! What did you get it for if you aren't going to write in it"?!  So I did.

Casual Link Block
My Block

Stephanie Palmer @ Late Night Quilter did a beautiful job on this!  Besides the usual calendar, every week is a new block from the Blogger's Fabri-Quilt Block Hop, graph paper, list's for days, full quilt patterns and quilting references.

Oh and if you order one you also get a PDF for a Zippy Quilter's Planner Cover!!  Amanda @ What The Bobbin has updated the pattern to fit the 2016 planner.   

Wasting Spending quality time on Instagram today, I saw that Silvia @ A Stranger View had actually made a cover!  And it was amazing!  To be honest, I wasn't planning on making one until I saw hers.  I am not that good at this kind of sewing or following instructions.  With a little encouragement, I decided this was going to be my ice breaker!

How hard could it be?

  

The fabric choice was easy.  Use it...use it...Tula Pink it was.  This has been in my secret stash long enough. There should be just enough for this cover.  

The outside was ironed to fusible fleece after being pieced it together and I lightly quilted vertical lines.  

By the time I got to this point I had my iPad open with the PDF, my phone opened to What the Bobbin blog tutorial and Instagram open for finished pictures.  Directions!  Instructions! Phooey!  Read, re-read, rip out, read, sew again.  I just can't seem to follow along sometimes!

The entire time I kept thinking it won't fit anyway!  You're going to screw it up!  You wasted your last prized Tula fabric!  Idiot!

That's what I thought.

 This is the front.  That zipper pouch will be very handy!!  Candy and pencils will fit perfectly!

The Inside.  The sides are pockets.  I could fill those with erasers.  It even has a business card holder, which sadly is too small for a real business card!  I figured that out too late! Gum. Gum will fit.

The true test...will the planner fit?  Holding breath.....a deep, deep breath.....

Like a glove!  

If I can do it guess who else can do it?  You got it...YOU can!  Whew, whew, whew!

I'm not usually a matchy, matchy kind of person, but in this case I thought why not?  Two peas in a pod!  Bionic Gear Bag meet Zippy Quilter's Planner Cover...and they both lived happily ever after! 

THe ENd.

Linking:
Needle & Thread Thursday

Oy Vey ~ Bionic Bag Workout

I always say I want to try new things!  Push myself!  Case in point:

Have you heard or seen the Bionic Gear Bag?  Back in October or November, a couple ladies showed their bags at our Guild meeting.  Many of us were amazed and decided we should make one!  With encouragement from our 'Bag Specialist' Jenny and Stefanie, we ordered zippers, picked fabric, bought the patterns and started making the bags together via Facebook.  Stefanie started us out right before Christmas with some great videos, but with the hustle and bustle of the holidays, we put it on hold.

I decided it was time to finish it up.  I can read...I'm sure I can finish it!  I'm not a person who can make bags/purses.  They intimidate me.  Freak the crap out of me!  But I was determined to power through.  

The pattern is available through Craftsy.  Here is the link to the Bionic Gear Bag.

I picked Tula Pink and Anna Maria Horner fabric for my bag.  Love the combination of fabrics together!

The first step was zippers.  Lot's of zippers! This bag has 5 zippers total and I choose 5 different colors.    

Such a pretty combination!  It seems like I never can remember from one zipper project to the next how to put zippers in.  Retention is not my strong suit!

I'm not going to lie.  I had to read some of the direction over and over and over before I figured it out. The step where you put the sides on...I ripped it out three times!  The first time I discovered I didn't sew the two pieces together before attaching them to the pockets! Then I put one side on the wrong way!

This bag is a massive tug of war!  Twisting, turning, pulling and pushing!  I was scared for my machine!!  

Once I got the sides on the right way, it was time to fit the outside together.  Pins are your friend through each and every step of this bag!  

  
With all of the pieces together the final steps are binding.  It was a long and slow process. I have never machine sewn a binding from start to finish.  You thought I used a lot of pins in the previous picture?  You should have seen the binding pins.  I wanted to be sure I actually stitched in the ditch while actually catching the other side of the binding!  For the most part it was a success.  

The part that I was worried about was the big long crazy zipper!  However, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be!  

Look at all the zippers!  I do have a few spots that aren't pretty.  A couple of the inside pockets I missed catching the inside lining by a tiny little bit.  

My take on this bag, my bag...I love it!  It's full of personality, especially with the flaws. In my eyes however, its perfect!  I do want to make another one, one day...soon!  It was a huge struggle.  You almost need to be a bionic woman to make it!  I powered through.  

I tend to jump into things and then second guess myself.  I'm happy I did.  It was a huge confidence builder.  Huge!

Look at the space!  I'm not sure I have enough 'stuff' to fill it up!  I may have to go shopping!

Has anyone made the Bionic Gear bag before?  What did you think of the process? Will you make it again?  I heard there is a smaller version of this kind of bag.  I would love to find that pattern too!

It's too cute not to show it again....

LINKING:

FABRIC FRENZY FRIDAY

TGIFF

CAN I GET A WHOOP WHOOP

LET'S BEE SOCIAL

WIP WEDNESDAY

NEEDLE & THREAD THURSDAY